No
In Wisconsin’s partisan primaries, like the one happening Aug. 11, voters must choose a party section and only vote for candidates within that column.
On a partisan primary ballot, voters must first select which party’s primary they want to vote in.
Instructions on Aug. 11 ballot templates explain that if voters mark a party at the start of the ballot, votes cast in any other party won’t be counted.
If voters don’t make a party selection, then vote for candidates in more than one party, none of their votes will be counted.
State law requires polling places to prominently display these rules for partisan primaries.
So, if a Republican voter wants to strategically vote for a Democrat they think would lose to Tom Tiffany in the governor’s race Nov. 3, they forgo participating in GOP primaries for lieutenant governor, secretary of state and some state Legislature and congressional seats.
This fact brief responds to conversations like this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Elections Commission, 2026 Partisan Primary.
Wisconsin Blue Book 2025-2026, Elections in Wisconsin.
MyVote Wisconsin, What’s On My Ballot.
Wisconsin Elections Commission, 2026 Partisan Primary Optical Scan Ballot.
Wisconsin State Legislature, Wis. Stat. 5.35(6)(b).
Wisconsin Elections Commission, Election Law & Administration in Wisconsin: Effect of Crossover Voting at a Partisan Primary.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collaborated with Wisconsin Watch to develop this fact brief. Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Gigafact program, newsrooms across the U.S. that deliver bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read more about our methodology at jsonline.com/FactBriefMethods.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Can you ‘cross over’ vote in multiple parties in a Wisconsin primary?
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
